


Proper Motivation

by AGL03



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fitzsimmons in peril, Tumblr Prompt, fitzsimmons family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-16 19:28:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14817473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AGL03/pseuds/AGL03
Summary: Tumblr Prompt:  Since it didn't happen on the show would you do something with Hale knowing Deke is Fitzsimmons grandson. Maybe using it against all of them somehow?





	Proper Motivation

Werner had finally come through for her. After toiling away over his father's notes for endless hours he’d figured out how to work The Destroyer Device. Thanks to Talbot she knew where it was and Ivanov was bringing it back. 

Everything was falling right into place. 

Well, almost everything. 

The Machine was missing one component, the vital piece something that hadn’t been built yet as it had to be tailored based on the type of material being infused into the subject. Struckers heir had produced the blueprints but couldn’t build or adapt it himself. None of her men could. 

Lucky for her, she knew exactly where she could find someone who could, he had escaped her once but wouldn’t again. After all, it was only a matter of time before Shield crossed her path again looking for Coulson. 

Perhaps since Coulson was being uncooperative she could arrange a trade. 

Before that particular plan went any further the alarms began to blare and the mechs into action. 

“It’s Coulson, Talbot, and Creel,” one reported. “They are escaping!”

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Deke crept back through the snow silently cursing the white set stuff that was rapidly making his feet go numb. He’d never seen anything like it and after this little introduction to the stuff decided that the only thing he really liked in its Frozen form was Ice Cream. 

He turned a corner and could see Daisy fighting Ruby, the force of Daisy’s attacks shaking the ground all around them. Neither woman noticing as he approached. 

He got as close as he dared and lined the shaking gun up trying to get a clear shot at Ruby, his finger just starting to put pressure on the trigger when he felt something cold poke into his back. 

“Don’t move,” a woman’s voice commanded.

Deke froze in place and for reason’s he couldn’t explain had a flash of Fitz looking exasperated and Jemma concerned. 

“Back up,” she ordered again and Deke had no choice but to comply. Being pulled farther and farther away from the battle. Once out of earshot he felt the cold return to hold him still. 

“Mr. Shaw,” General Hale said coming into view weapon now at his chest as two of the mechs seized his arms. “Or do you go by Deke Fitz or what is it they called them...Fitzsimmons?” 

Deke felt his eyes go wide. The General somehow knew something no one else within Shield knew yet. That he was Fitzsimmons grandchild. Coulson’s abduction, Fitz’s break and the subsequent fallout putting that revelation on hold until things were better.

Hale came closer fishing through his pockets dropping a few of the Twinkies he’d stashed in there, the gun, and finally pulling his version of Fitz’s multi-tool out. 

“Don’t,” Deke tried, the small tool one of his last connections to his former life. 

Hale smiled a cruel smile, “This will do nicely. Get him to the plane and secure him. I’ll be along shortly, I need to collect Ruby and have Miss Johnson pass along a message for me.”

Deke tried to pull away but the machines were too strong, easily pulling him through the snow to Hale’s waiting ship.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daisy had her arms out before her, the cuts she had accumulated during her fight with Ruby bleeding freely and the girl struggled to pull herself to standing in the snow. Seething with rage and clearly ready for another round. 

“Stay down,” Daisy said not wanting to have to do more damage.

Ruby merely pulled another knife from her shirt and readied it to throw. 

“Ruby, stand down!” Hale ordered as she came into the clearing with her gun drawn and a handful of armed Mechs. 

Daisy forced to divert her attention and back closer to the path that led back to the Zephyr, hands raised defensively.

Ruby looked outright murderous at that moment and pulled her arm back further to prepare to throw. 

“Ruby!” Hale snapped and the tone of her voice caused her daughter to instantly lower the weapons. Though it didn’t stop her from shooting her mother a dark look. 

“I need to speak with Miss Johnson, now get back to the plane...and do not touch anything you find on there,” Hale said. Pausing for a moment to look at Daisy ready to attack “Unless I don’t return within thirty minutes, then you may do what you need to do.”

As she spoke Daisy felt her heart plummet, had they found Coulson and the others before they got back to the plane? 

Ruby obeyed leaving Daisy alone with Hale and her Guards. 

“What do you want?” Daisy asked, “And what is to stop me from quaking all your asses right now?” 

Hale didn’t seem concerned, holding up a silver multi-tool Daisy didn’t recognize, though by the way, Hale presented it she seemed to think it would mean something.

“Your little friend,” Hale said seeing the confusion on the Inhumans face. “Mr. Shaw will be the one who pays the price if you do,” Hale continued finally earning a curse from her opponent. 

She threw the tattered tool with the number seventeen etched into the side at Daisy’s feet along with a cell phone “You are to give those to Mr. Fitz and Miss Simmons when you get back to wherever you are hiding. I assure you there are no trackers on the phone...I don’t need it.”

While she wasn’t on the best of terms with the Scientists she didn’t want Hydra anywhere near them either. Hydra wanting Fitz and Simmons was never a good thing.

“I’ll be in contact,” Hale said backing into the trees, leaving Daisy alone to pick up the items and run back to the Zephyr. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fitz held Jemma’s hand tightly as the Quin Jet makes it final descent into the Lighthouse. The pair along with Elena bracing for what was to come when they faced the team on the other side.

They had tricked and locked up Mack, let Fitz out, and disobeyed Daisy’s direct orders. Heading for the facility that Fitz suspected Malick had the destroyer machine at only to find they had been too late. They had arrived just in time to see Ivanov loading his own plane and taking it to Hale. 

Their own frustration that had someone just listened also simmering. 

Fitz was expecting an armed set of agents waiting to take him back to his cell perhaps Jemma and Elena to be locked up as well. Instead, Coulson and Daisy stood with grim looks on their faces. 

“Was there anything left?” Coulson asked as soon as they disembarked accepting hugs from Jemma and Elena and a clap on the shoulder from Fitz for his safe return. 

“I’m afraid not Sir,” Jemma said unable to stop herself from meeting Daisy with a pointed look. “Ivanov cleaned everything out before we got there.” 

Again Daisy and Coulson shared an uneasy glance before Coulson spoke again. “Is it possible that the machine wasn’t complete, that they would still be missing a component or the machine itself needed to be repaired.”

Fitz narrowed his eyes slightly unsure where this line of questioning was coming from. “Its impossible to say, we didn’t get to see it or what all was in the lab before it was cleaned out.”

Jemma grew concerned as well unable to explain the uneasy feeling that was settled within her stomach. “Why do you ask?” 

Daisy pulled an all to familiar tool out of her pocket and handed it to Fitz, whose hands shook slightly as he took it. A sense of deja vu from the other day when he took it from Jemma. 

“Where did you get that?” Jemma demanded feeling a wave of panic rush through her like she’d never had before. 

“Where is Deke?” Fitz followed a second later.

“Hale,” Daisy said unsure why they were having such a strong reaction to their visitor. Clearly, she had missed something between the trio. “He doubled back to help me and Hale got him. She gave me that tool and a cell phone to give to you.”

Fitzsimmons erupted in cries, their questions coming so fast it didn’t allow anyone to answer until Coulson held up his hand to silence them. As he did Jemma had folded herself against Fitz’s chest with tears streaming from her eyes. 

“We suspect that the Machine requires your expertise to get working. Hale intends on infusing someone, her daughter or her preference is Daisy, with the Gravitonium to fight off an alien invasion force known as the Confederacy.” Coulson explained and he pulled a small cell phone from his pocket.

“Hale said to give you these,” Daisy said. “Clearly its a trap...”

“Of course its a trap,” Fitz snapped. “If you had only listened to Jemma in the first place we would have had the Machine before them...she wouldn’t have even known we’d taken it.”

“She would have just tried to leverage Coulson or Deke for the entire-” Daisy started feeling defensive.

“Deke shouldn’t have been in the field!” Jemma cried pulled away with her hand out for the device. “He’s not a trained agent and you took him on a dangerous mission where at the very least he should not have been allowed off the plane. Now give me the phone.”

Coulson looked hesitant. It was clear something horrible had happened between them in his absence and that was likely spurred many of these arguments. But he couldn’t allow Hale to get her hands on anyone else. Not after what she had done to Creel and Talbot. 

“I want to get Deke back too, but giving in to her demands and handing you two over isn’t the best plan, you are too valuable because we can’t allow that machine to be activated. It very well could be why the world ended in the previous loops,” Coulson said. “Until we can get a solid location on her base we will stall, negotiate. That should give us enough time to plan the rescue..”

“Give us the phone,” Fitz said again, his voice growing dark and measured, but nothing near what they knew he was capable of as The Doctor, though it caused Daisy to tense up and raise her hands ever so slightly.

“Trading yourselves isn’t the solution, in fact, it will only make matters worse,” Daisy said siding with Coulson. 

“I thought I was Hydra and deserved to be locked up,” Fitz countered a tear of frustration working its way down his cheek. “This way you can have both.”

Coulson looked confused again, what the hell had he missed? “We aren’t locking anyone up!” he pressed. “Everyone needs to take a break and regroup. Then we’ll decide what to-”

He didn’t get a chance to finish as a whoosh filled the room and Elena made her move. She had kept quiet and out of the argument, so much so they had forgotten she was there. Elena played it to her advantage and acted when she felt the time was right. Using her powers to snatch the phone and hand it to Jemma. 

A second and third run had the pair tucked back into the Quin Jet so they could make the call. 

“There was no discussion or hesitation when it came to getting Coulson back and there will be no hesitation for them getting to Deke. He is their Grandson,” Elena said firmly. 

“What?” Coulson asked stunned and looked to see if Daisy knew either. The shock on her face told him she didn’t either. 

“Simmons told me before we went after the Machine, his mother is their daughter,” Elena explained looking back at the pair. Fitz had the phone between them so they could both listen. Elena had no doubt they would agree to whatever terms Hale laid out. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kidnapping wasn’t something those on the Lighthouse ever really had to worry about. If the Blues took you, you were either being sent to the surface where you were supposed to die or to Kasius to be one of his slaves. His only recollection of kidnappings was when his mom told him stories that his Bobo had the penchant for getting taken in his days at Shield but they were only stories. 

Or so he thought. 

Now back on earth, it was apparently common and even a problem for those on the team. They had only been back on earth a matter of Days before Coulson got himself kidnapped. 

He’d been transferred from their plane to a cell, his hands bound behind his back for so long they were numb by the time his bindings were cut. Leaving angry purple bruises on his wrists from his efforts to snap the plastic. Then they had left him for an unknown number of hours now. Food coming through the slot at uneven intervals. 

Even as hungry as he was he didn’t trust the food and left it untouched. Choosing to drink water from the faucet in his small bathroom rather than what they brought. 

He lay curled on his bed when Hale finally came in and Deke set her with a defiant look. 

“Your Grandfather used to look at me like that,” She said pulling the chair from his empty desk and made herself comfortable. “He was also far more resourceful than I gave him credit for, a mistake I won’t be repeating again.”

“Fitz is going to make you pay,” Deke shot not entirely sure he could back that up but it sounded good none the less. His mouth the only weapon he currently had in this particular fight. “Because you have no idea who you are dealing with in him or Simmons for that matter. They managed to outsmart and escape from Kasius and the scum of the galaxy, you will be nothing but child play to them.”

“Together this is nothing they can’t do, right?” Hale said with a smile. Which was precisely why she was after them. Even if it had been in part to play her Fitz had managed to find and bring his team home from the future in a matter of hours once he was free.

The future was in fact why she was here. It was only a matter of time before the little phone in her pocket rang and the Scientists would offer themselves for her guest. So while she had the asset she was determined to get whatever advantage she could from him. 

“Coulson told me all about the future,” Hale said sitting back to watch Deke’s reactions. “How the earth was destroyed and how the Kree took over and enslaved what was left of humanity.”

“It sucked,” Deke said not wanting to give her anything.

“You mentioned a Kasius, that is certainly an interesting name. And the way you talked about him made it sound like he was in charge,” Hale asked curious if the Kasius Deke spoke of was the same Kasius from the Council. 

Deke silently cursed himself as he pulled his knees to his chest and looked away.

Hale wasn’t amused by his actions and moved quickly, grabbing him by his hair and her lips were just inches from his ear. “Don’t test me, Mr. Shaw, I have broken men who were far stronger than you will ever hope to be.”

Deke was about to retort when the phone in her pocket went off and he felt his heart fall. He knew from the triumphant smile on her face who would be on the other side. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jemma sank into the seat on the Quin Jet as the call ended. Fitz followed seconds later. Without hesitation they fell together, Jemma tucking into his chest and his arms around her. Deke’s pain filled cry still echoing in their ears, the last thing they’d heard as the call ended. A reminder from Hale as to what would happen should they not comply. 

They sat for a few minutes before Coulson slowly approached, Daisy and Elena, staying back. 

“What are the terms?” he asked gently. 

Fitz sighed and held up the phone. “She texted coordinates, you are to Ice and leave us there for pick up, alone. Any sign of other agents or tracking devices and Deke will be harmed.” 

“How long?” Coulson followed.

“We have twelve hours, but they will be waiting,” Jemma said fiddling with her ring. “The sooner we arrive the easier it will be for him.” 

Coulson looked at their stricken faces before he sat down next to them. “Elena told us he’s your Grandson, I’m so very sorry we didn’t keep a better eye on him. I didn’t realize he was gone until we turned around on the Quin Jet.”

“We know sir,” Jemma said the guilt gnawing at her that they were halfway around the world while he was in danger. And they fell into an uncomfortable silence. 

“What do you want to do?” Coulson finally asked earning a look of surprise. They seemed to expect for someone to tell them what they had to do, or more specifically that they wouldn’t be allowed to go. 

“No question, we want to go, Sir,” Fitz said as he shared a glance with Jemma to confirm. “We can’t let Hale hurt him because we stayed here hidden away.”

Coulson placed a hand on each of their shoulders. “Then we’ll just have to make sure we find you all quickly.”

Jemma moved first pulling Coulson into a quick hug before running down the ramp. “I’m going to go get us some fresh clothes and a bite to eat for the ride.”

“And May,” Coulson called after her. “We’ll have May fly you.”

Jemma ran by Elena and Daisy, ignoring their questions in favor of time The sooner she got back the sooner they could leave. 

“I I don’t know exactly what she needs us for, but chances are its delicate work that will take time,” Fitz said as they waited for Jemma to return. “We will stall as long as we can. And if there is a way to stall or sabotage that doesn’t risk Jemma or Deke-”

“Or you,” Coulson added firmly. He knew Fitz would readily lay down his life for those he cared about.

Fitz nodded and took a deep breathed before he continued. “If we don’t make it back

Deke wasn’t sure how much time had passed since Hale had wrenched his shoulder so hard he’d felt it pop out of its socket. The pain had ripped a scream from his throat he barely recognized as his own before she set it back in and left him whimpering on the floor to finish her conversation with his grandparents. 

After that, he had been left alone, a variety of meals delivered with an ice pack that he accepted. 

Until now. 

He heard the door being worked and he sat up in time to see a bunch of the mechs as they carried in two more beds and the necessary accessories.

“No,” Deke said. They weren’t supposed to come, they were supposed to stay hidden because hidden they wouldn’t be forced to work on the machine. Hidden they could come save him like the stories his mom used to tell. 

Jemma was the first to appear in the door and she was at his side in almost an instant. First, she pulled him into a hug then tugging at his shirt until she could get a good look at his shoulder. 

“You shouldn’t have come,” Deke started and Fitz was pushed through the door next, jerking his arm from the Mech’s hold with a dark look. 

“Of course we should have,” Jemma said even as Hale loomed in the door. 

“See there you are, one grandson safe and sound,” Hale said without preamble. “Now, what else do you need?” Deke assumed most of the details had been worked out before Fitz and Jemma even arrived. 

“Any notes or plans you have on it already,” Fitz said. “Paper, pens, and possibly some books, I’ll know better once we can actually see it and what needs to be done.” 

Deke swore he saw Fitz’s lips tip up in a slight smile before the last request. “And a TV, to watch football, can’t have my Grandson not knowing the sport properly now can I.” 

What seemed to be an innocent and even cheeky comment caused a dark look to pass across Hale’s face. Her eyes narrowed in anger. “Mr. Hunter won’t be finding you this time and there will be no Television. I will have the plans delivered with your dinner and will expect your first report by lunch. I don’t need to tell you what the consequences will be if you try to cross me again.”

With that, she swept out and the door was latched with an audible click, leaving the small family together, alone for the first time since their connection had been revealed. 

Deke had a lot of questions from why did they come and what were they thinking, but the two that he couldn’t resist first were.

“What is Football and why won’t Hunter rescue us again?”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

The sounds of heeled boots echoed through the lab as Fitz sodered the delicate device Jemma held. Each of them tense as a drawn bow until the footsteps stopped and a thwack signaled Ruby had struck again. 

Fitz threw down the tool he was working with and had to keep Jemma from running to interfere. A bruise on her cheek payment for the last time she’d tried to run to Deke’aid.

“That’s enough,” Fitz snapped. He recognized the look on Deke’s face, he bore it so many times, especially in those early days of Shield when he was trying ot be brave despite being scared to death.

“We are doing what you are asking of us, there is no need for this!” Jemma followed. 

Ruby pulled her weapon from the wall right next to Deke’s head, leaving a gash to join the other three she’d left before. “Mother said to make sure you stay motivated and this most certainly keeps you that way. Or would you rather a trace, Fitz there seems to be the one who specializes in this kind of stuff so why don’t we put Grandma there in little Deke’s place.”

Fitz pulled Jemma behind him to try to hide her from view and earned another smile from Ruby. “You two are just so cute, I ship it, I really do”. 

“No,” Deke and Fitz said in unison. 

“Look, you want this done, let him help, he’ll be able to help us with the assembly,” Fitz said taking a small step forward but keeping Jemma well behind him. 

Ruby considered them for a bit before removing a blade from her suite, cutting Deke’s bindings. He quickly slid from the seat and across the room to where they had been working. Fitz continued his sentry position in front of the two while Jemma wrapped a protective arm around Deke to lead him to the table. Conveying their progress in a hushed whisper. 

Ruby watched as they settled back to work, something stirring in her at the sight of the family so concerned with protecting one another.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They managed to stall for the better part of a week before Hale’s patience ran out and she had Ruby let loose on Fitz. in a brutal attack that left him bloody and with fractured ribs. They completed the device within a few hours and had been taken back to their cell. 

He was sleeping now with his head cradled in Jemma’s lap as she ran her fingers through his hair. 

Deke watched them from his own bed. Happy to see that all the stories his mom had told him of his grandparent's love were utterly and completely true. If not even deeper than she described. It was no wonder she had grown into such an amazing woman with those two raising her. 

Despite the fact he was a hostage and they were prisoners by someone who could trigger the end of the world. Part of Deke was grateful for this time with them. For the time he’d had to really spend time with and get to know them. 

He was able to ask Jemma some more questions, the little game their way of killing time, when there was the distant sound of rumbling before the entire cell shook. Starting Fitz from his sleep. 

The pair looked at each other, straining their ears, hoping to hear another round. 

Deke scooted forward to the edge of his bed listening intently as well, “Daisy?” he asked hopefully. 

“She’s not exactly subtle when it comes to making an entrance,” Fitz said as the base's alarm began to blare seconds later.

“Deke, away from the door,” Jemma said motioning him away feeling her hair stand on end. Something didn’t feel right. 

He obeyed and was pulled even farther away once he was within Jemma’s reach. 

They waited with baited breath until the door began to groan and creak from an outside pressure. Eventually blasting inward and embedding itself in the wall. Had Deke not moved he would have been crushed. 

The dust began to settle and Ruby emerged from the darkness, tears streaming down her face and blood staining her hands that clutched her head. 

“Make it stop!” she screamed tapping the side of her head. “Make them stop, please!”

Fitz exchanged a worried look with Jemma before taking a tentative step forward. “Make what stop?” he asked cautiously.

“Everything!” She screamed again with another step forward sending another one of the beds across the room.

“She went into the chamber,” Jemma said before turning to address Ruby. “We can’t reverse it,” she said trying to sound comforting. 

Ruby’s eyes went wide again before she let out another feral cry. “You always do this!”

Throwing her hands forward Fitz and Jemma were thrown high onto the wall. They both cried out in pain as they hit, hands trying to reach for one another but fingers barely out of reach. 

Fitz continued to try to reason with Ruby while Jemma slowly turned her head to meet Deke right in the eye. 

“Run,” she pleaded. 

Deke shook his head, not wanting to leave them but at the same time knew he needed to get help. 

“Go,” Jemma said again before she let out a cry of pain that mingled with Fitz’s as Ruby pressed forward. So focused on the scientists she forgot Deke was even there. 

Deke ran, skidding into the hall easily able to see what direction Ruby had come from from the carnage she left behind. Bodies and rubble were strewn like a horrible trail of breadcrumbs. 

The building shook again and he was tempted to run back to the cell to check on his Grandparents and had to remind himself the best thing he could do right now would be to find help. Even if that was in the form of his abductor. 

He turned another corner and crashed right into another person sending them crashing to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

“Deke?” someone asked and Deke nearly sobbed with relief. Elena was pulling him up and May was helping Daisy up as well. Hale trailing behind looking concerned. 

“Took you guys long enough! Ruby, she has Fitzsimmons, she’s going to hurt them because they can’t ‘make them stop’ whatever that means,” he said tugging May down the hall.

The group readily followed, Elena, Daisy, and Hale all at his heels. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fitz gasped for breath as Ruby’s onslaught was relentless his entire focus now on getting his next breath and his eyes never leaving Jemma’s. 

Ruby had stopped talking to them and seemed to be arguing with herself and as her anger grew so did the pressure she was putting on them. 

“Ruby stop!” Hale ordered breaking through the fog. 

She didn’t let them down, instead ranting about experimentation. 

Hale carefully moved closer to her daughter while the team from Shield froze in the door. They feared their intervention would only make things worse though May and Daisy had to restrain Deke. 

“I need you to put them down,” Hale tried again.

Ruby didn’t listen and more force that caused the pair to cry out. 

Deke turned helpless to Daisy. “Please,” he begged, “please help them.” 

Daisy looked between her friends and the teen before she caught Hale’s eye, the General understanding the look. 

“Ruby, its Mom and I said to put them down,” Hale shouted, this time Ruby stopped and turned to her mother with a look of sheer terror in her eyes. Fitzsimmons crashing to the floor.

Ruby turned to her mother with a sob. “Something is wrong with me,” she cried.

Fitz paid no attention to the conversation between mother and daughter as he crawled to Jemma’s side and pulled her close. Pain blossoming through his torso as his ribs were jolted. But it was worth it as he pulled Jemma into his arms and she pulled him close. The pair wincing as something Hale said sent Ruby off and a chair flew across the room. 

Deke suddenly appeared crawling along the wall. “Come on, you guys can’t be there,” he said urgently pulling at Jemma like she had done with him not even an hour ago. 

Jemma ushered the injured Fitz around first, her hand never leaving his back. 

The trio stayed low until they made it to the door, Hale continuing to distract Ruby from their escape.

“They can’t be here, I’m going to get them back to the Zephyr,” May said waving them by.

“Come back, I need you,” Daisy said as she edged closer to Ruby and Hale. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The trip home had been a blur. May had gotten them safely to the Zephyr where Jemma took them all to medical for a thorough once over. She had just finished binding Fitz’s ribs when the others had returned. Daisy and Elena at each other's throats. 

Turned out Elena had taken matters into her own hands and killed Ruby and in the fallout, Hale had escaped. Jemma had intervened and taken charge in a way that Deke hasn’t seen before. Sending Fitz and Deke to rest, Daisy with May to cool off, and Elena with her to get her wounds address. 

Deke was surprised when Fitz obeyed, thinking the pair wouldn’t want to be more than five feet from each other after what had happened. Fitz leaning in and whispering “You don’t argue with that voice,” he said and guided his Grandson to the galley to make tea and a marginally healthy snack to have waiting for when she arrived. 

When she finally did, Fitz was at her side in an instant, gathering her into his arms, her hands cupping his face as they shared a quiet moment to revel in them being safe and together. From there they had the tea, Jemma administered pain medication to Fitz and fussed over his bandages one last time. Satisfied everyone was as good as they were going to get they settled onto one of the beds and Deke the other. And for the first time since his mother had died, Deke felt like he was home.


End file.
